Standard Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin characters are owned by someone other than me. Nor do I own the movie Shrek which my story is based on. This is fiction and for entertainment purposes only. This story was not written for sale or profit but pure enjoyment. So with that out of the way please read and enjoy.
Aoshi
Chapter 6
Aoshi had a nice fire going and was meditating before turning in for the night when he felt her approaching the camp.
When Kaoru reached the fire, she took her sword from her waist before sitting down on the ground laying the sword within easy reach of her hand. Crossing her legs she put her elbows on her knees, while resting her head in her hands, she sighed staring bleakly at the fire.
"Are you all right?" Aoshi asked even though he already knew the answer to his question.
With an airy sigh she whispered, "No."
"Is there anything I can do for you," Aoshi said hesitantly breaking his meditation to look at her.
His words surprised Kaoru and she looked at Aoshi expecting to see someone else. On closer inspection she noticed that his shirt was torn.
"If you take off your shirt I will sew it for you," she offered standing up to turn her back to him so that he could take off his shirt.
He quickly took off the shirt putting the coat back on.
She started sewing the shirt, her hands able to do the task with just the use of her eyes, her mind escaped back to the castle where she had left Kenshin hoping that he would be able to free himself. As she sewed the shirt, her thoughts consumed her so much that she almost didn't hear Aoshi's voice.
"…and that's why I let you come with me," Aoshi finished not realizing that she had only heard the last part of his words.
Kaoru looked at Aoshi causing her finger to get in the way of her sewing needle. "Ouch!!" she cried looking at her injured finger.
"What did you just say?" she demanded scowling at Aoshi.
"I knew that Battousai would come after you and I let you draw his attention away from me," he said giving her a stern look.
"You jerk!" she snapped her body tense, her face contorting into a nasty scowl, "you're saying that you sent me in there knowing that he…"
"Yes but I didn't think that you would acquire such deep feelings for him," he said softly.
"Look you don't know everything just because you sit and mediate all day," she said trying desperately to recompose herself.
"Its meditate"
"Oh I don't care,"
"But I also knew that Battousai wouldn't hurt you. He had a very bad experience involving a woman and he vowed that he would never hurt another woman again. But I should have known when I read your ki that there would be problems. For that I ask your forgiveness," he stated and then closed his eyes resuming his meditation.
"What kind of problems?" she asked waiting for his answer.
He opened his eyes, looked directly at her, then replied, "Your ki compliments a great warrior such as the Battousai therefore when you met him your ki's linked you two together." Closing his eyes once again he returned to meditating.
"Oh," she said turning her attention back to mending the shirt. When the last stitch was finished she walked over to Aoshi.
"Thank you for allowing me to come with you," she said sincerely handing him the shirt. Returning to the other side of the fire, she lay with her back to him, and quickly fell asleep.
Aoshi watched as she settled down for the night, taking off his coat, he put his shirt back on. As the shirt settled on his shoulders he was acutely aware that he was being watched.
Returning to his meditation he tried to keep his mind clear but a petite woman kept invading his thoughts filling him with a warmth that he had never known. He would chastise himself into clearing his mind only to have her re-enter.
Deciding that it would be best to give up for the night, Aoshi laid down himself looking intently at the moon before falling asleep.
The moon also shone down on Hiko as he strolled through the courtyard his cape flapping around him giving the appearance of a floating spirit. A slight rustle in the brush caught his immediate attention. But he let no visible sign show that he even noticed other that slowing his pace.
"Do you have the information for me," he said through lips that didn't move.
"Yes, three are on their way here."
"Good, what about the fourth?"
"We lost him."
"Geez, ok the pottery will be delivered as promised."
With nothing more than a scratchy breeze in the air, Hiko smiled while continuing his stroll through the courtyard where his wedding would soon take place.
As the sun crested the horizon, Lady Misao ventured out of the abandoned building. Looking around she noticed that her rescuer was meditating and didn't see her yet. The girl was still asleep so she decided to prepare some tea.
Walking into the forest looking for the proper plants for the perfect tea, she twirled through the trees humming a happy tune stopping at just the right moment to find the very plant that she was looking for. Such luck she thought now if only he will kiss me today, then everything will be perfect.
Returning with the plant to make her special tea, she rummaged through the abandoned building looking for the proper utensils to make tea. She found a teapot along with some porcelain teacups with small blue flowers hand painted on them.
While humming her tune, she prepared the tea.
"I have made some tea. Would you care for a cup?" Lady Misao asked offering a cup of tea to Aoshi, "But you will have to forgive me because I don't know your name."
"Aoshi," Aoshi said taking the tea from her, their eyes meeting briefly. He took a small sip of the tea. The surprised look on his face made her smile.
"Lord Aoshi, do you like the tea?" she asked teasingly.
"Yes it is very good, thank you," he replied bowing his head to her.
"Not much of a talker, are you? But I guess I can adapt to that," she said under her breath.
Aoshi just sat and sipped on his tea. Having little experience with women he was not sure how to act in the presence of a Lady. So he felt it best to follow his instincts and just ignore her.
Kaoru took this opportunity to sit up and stretch. Looking around she noticed Aoshi drinking tea when Lady Misao offered her a cup of tea.
"Thank you Lady Misao. Would you like a rice ball," Kaoru said producing several rice balls from the cache of food they had started out with. "They are a bit dry but with the tea I am sure that they would taste just fine," Kaoru said. She offered one to Aoshi, who declined, preferring to just drink his tea.
The two girls sat enjoying the warm sun drinking their tea and eating the rice balls, like they were in the royal hall having their food served on china instead of sitting on the ground drinking out of porcelain teacups.
After they were finished eating, Kaoru was cleaning up their campsite replacing the cups inside the abandon building when she noticed that "Hiko" was spelled on the bottom of the cups. She wondered at the significance of the name and was about to bring this to Aoshi's attention when she noticed Lady Misao confronting Aoshi.
"Now Lord Aoshi you must do the proper thing and kiss me," Lady Misao said while standing directly in front of Aoshi puckering up waiting for the promised kiss.
Aoshi backed away from Lady Misao making Kaoru frowned at his reaction. Knowing that his only objective was to bring Lady Misao back for Hiko the Great, she really didn't want to be the one to tell Lady Misao.
"I can't kiss you besides I am not a Lord," Aoshi said firmly.
"But you must kiss me after all you did rescue me," Lady Misao said pouting while looking longingly at Aoshi.
"Why must I kiss you?" Aoshi asked looking at Kaoru for help.
"You know how the story goes…" Lady Misao started to explain.
"But I only rescued you because Hiko the Great wants to marry you," Aoshi interrupted her, shuddering when he remembered the book he had picked up in the Temple.
"Who?"
"Oh it doesn't matter."
"Well then, why didn't he come rescue me himself?" Lady Misao asked anger burning in her eyes.
"Why don't you ask him that when we get there?" Aoshi countered.
"I am not going anywhere, if he wants to marry me then he can come get me," Lady Misao said dismissing him like he was her servant. She then crossed her arms turning her back to Aoshi.
Aoshi growled some totally inconceivable words.
Listening to Lady Misao and Aoshi, Kaoru sighed knowing that if she didn't do something, they would be standing here arguing all day. So she walked over, took Lady Misao's arm, and said, "Why don't you and I have a little girl talk while we walk, ok?" Looking over her shoulder at Aoshi she gave him a look that said, "Don't say a word."
Kaoru started her girl chatter and soon the two girls were talking like they were long lost friends. They talked about everything from hairstyles to shoes for the next couple of hours.
Aoshi followed at what he perceived as a safe distance preferring his own company to that of two girls chattering. He tried to ignore their conversation only paying attention when Kaoru explained to Lady Misao the reason they came to rescue her. She then proceeded to tell her all about Hiko, portraying him as a very favorable person and describing his physique.
Between the "Ooh's and Aah's" that were coming from Lady Misao as Kaoru was telling her about Hiko, Aoshi was starting to feel jealous slowing his pace.
Walking behind the girls, he tried to clear his mind using his form of meditation but his view of Lady Misao was tainting his thinking. His body kept trying to think for him making him shake his head to return to his meditative state. He tried closing his eyes but that wasn't a viable solution for she still found her way inside his mind.
He was getting ready to speed up his step and walk in front of the girls when Lady Misao disappeared.
Aoshi had been so buried in his need for meditation that he was unaware of the danger. Rushing to Kaoru he deployed all of his senses to find Lady Misao. Looking up he spotted her standing on a branch with a ninja holding her covering her mouth.
A ninja from a different tree declared, "We are the Yabo ninja clan, of which I am the leader, and we are here to rescue this Lady."
Lady Misao bit the hand that was covering her mouth making the ninja holding her yelp in pain. Glaring at the ninja who claimed to be the leader she said, "Look I don't care who you are I am not going with you."
"We have you and there is nothing you can do about it," the leader said sarcastically.
Before Aoshi could move Lady Misao raised her fist hitting her abductor right between the eyes then with a downward swing she spiked his stomach with her elbow. An "Oof" escaped his lips before he fell to the ground.
Lady Misao then flipped into the next tree over landing a punch directly into the stomach of the leader who properly fell to the ground. Gracefully she landed with her feet firmly on the ground under the tree immediately followed by three more ninja's who surrounded her. With a scowl on her face she extended one arm slightly down straight at the ninja in front of her while her other arm was extended high in the air at the ninja behind her.
The first one to advance was the one behind her. Twirling around she hit him with her forward fist finishing him with a loud whack from her plait that wrapped around his neck and with a snap of her head she sent him twirling into a tree. He hit the tree face first then fell down with swirly eyes. She stopped facing the ninja who was originally in front of her.
She ran at the ninja in front of her and jumped. With one leg extended in front of her and the other tucked under her extended leg, she kicked him in the chest knocking the wind out of him, leaving only one ninja.
Turning to face him she caught the kunai's that he threw at her, promptly throwing them back, pinning the ninja to the tree behind him.
Lady Misao brushed her hands, smoothed her hair, and walked over to where both Aoshi and Kaoru were standing with a shocked look on their faces. She had been so fast in taking care of the ninja's that neither Aoshi nor Kaoru had time to do anything.
"Are you both just going to stand there," she said a smile playing on her lips.
"Will you teach me how to do that?" Kaoru asked once she regained her voice.
"Do what?" Lady Misao asked blushing.
"What you just did," Kaoru said excitedly.
Lady Misao blushed even deeper and then with a small smile on her face, bowing her head, she said, "I am sorry my behavior was very un-lady like."
Putting her hand through Aoshi's arm she smiled, resuming her royal posture, she waited for him to escort her. With Lady Misao firmly holding onto his arm, Aoshi smiled as they started walking. Kaoru took one last glance around before following behind them.
As the three travelers walked out of sight, the ninja pinned to the tree sighed saying, "So much for my idea to get more pottery."
To be continued…